Not Quite Home
by LadyKatie0511
Summary: In Natural as Breathing we watched Jacob and Bella fall in love and start their family, in this sequel we'll follow Sarah as a new generation of Blacks enter the world.  We'll follow Sarah as she discovers just where she belongs.


**A/N-I'm BACK! Sorry it took so long! Well welcome back readers, we have so much ground to cover. We return to Jacob and Bella's home via our new narrator, the lovely Sarah Black. There is so much to catch up on and so much to do. We should have quite the adventure in store. So enjoy and I we see you next chapter!**

**P.S. Obviously I am not Stephenie Meyer so I don't own any of these Characters, but I am sure glad she dreamed them up so I can make them my puppets to do my bidding! But in all seriousness there is not copyright infringement going on here, just good old fashion grown up make believe.**

Today is my Brother's 13th birthday. Do you know what that means, besides the fact that I am almost 18? Woohoo! But I am getting off track here; do you know what it means to people on the res? It means every hot blooded(like crazy hot blooded) male from age 5 and up has invaded my home. I am secretly camped out in the linen closet on my laptop hoping this day will pass without anyone finding me in here. Mom and Dad are really popular here, popular enough for the entire Res to make the trek to Port Angeles and our smaller beach home just to celebrate with us. It's always been this way though. My Dad's like Chief or something. I shouldn't say it like, that sounds like I'm downplaying it a little. He's pretty special, supposedly we all are. I've heard the stories, and yeah I'm in awe of what my parents did. How they saved us, all of us, especially me. Even so, I'm not too sure how siked I am to get big muscles and run around bursting out of my clothes, but hopefully things will stay just as peaceful as they've been. It makes a great campfire story, Grandpa Billy tells it the best, but trust me when I tell you I like to hear the replay but in no way am I looking forward to cracking porcelain skulls with my teeth. I look forward to normal stuff like winter formal and shopping trips with Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosemarie. Picking out colleges with Carlisle and learning the piano from Uncle Edward. Pretty sure my Mom likes it that way too. Last week I got the flu, and I spiked a temp, she practically tackled Carlisle to the floor to read the thermometer. I thought she was going to faint when he walked her out. She just kept muttering something about 1-0-8. I know she doesn't want that….

The door creeps open in front of Sarah and her Mother who is always a creamy contrast to her own copper skin is leaning down on her knees, she gently slides the laptop closed and looks at her daughter. She's aged just a little over the years, a few laugh lines around her eyes and smile and Sarah has noticed she's taken to dying her hair more often, but otherwise she is untouched by time. She looks remarkably close to way she has always looked in photos. Jacob, her father has always joked that it's him that keeps her young. And maybe it is, because Dad never changes. Her Mother tucks her dark hair behind her ear and offers a comforting smile.

"Sarah, you've got to come out now your brother is about to blow out the candles.'

Her daughter stares up at her and pushes her own ebony hair out of her eyes. It falls to nearly her waist in soft waves and a few lingering ringlets. While she shares her father's skin and hair color and slightly in the color of her eyes the rest of her is so much of Bella. The natural curl to her hair, her shorter stature, even her demeanor is from her Mother alone. She sets the computer aside and gets to her knees. She takes Bella's outstretched hand and comes to her feet.

"I know", she says stumbling over untied shoe laces(another trait passed on to her). "I was coming, I just needed..."

"…A little space?" Her mother says with a pat of the shoulder.

"I'm sorry Mom, it's just… a lot of people." She says straightening her zip up hoodie. She's still a jeans and sneakers kind of girl, its purple today but only because of her Aunt's influence.

"We're lucky Sarah, you're lucky. Come on they're asking for you and Eli won't make a wish without you." Bella says as she hurries Sarah along.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. But Mom seriously, how could you even miss me with all these people in the house?"

The girls walk together down a flight of stairs and into the kitchen area where everyone is crowded around their little breakfast nook. Sarah can't believe she's looking at her little brother anymore. He's just thirteen but he's begun to tower over her and her Mother. He fits in with the rest of the bronzed giants that are crowding her kitchen, her Dad and her many Uncles; Embry, Paul and the others. Eli is broad shouldered but still slim and kind of gangly but at some point and she can't quite remember when he's grown muscle on what used to be skinny arms. He keeps his hair almost buzzed to his head now embarrassed of all his curls. All these years he's learned that he can tan his lighter skin and still look like the rest of us, but the curls are a dead give away that belongs to Mom and more directly Grandpa Charlie. His eyes have always been dark and intense, like he's always thinking. Sarah's always thought that way, like he's got an old soul. According to Grandpa Billy all great men do. Great man? Is her little Eli going to be a man? With all that had changed over the years, it felt like only yesterday she'd taken him by his tiny hands and wandered around First Beach's pebbled shores while they spent their days with Grandpa Billy. She used to be able to pick him up and throw him around in the ocean, was it really that long ago? Sarah and Eli had actually been the same height for a few years and just lately he'd sprung up like a weed. It been 2 or 3 months maybe and he'd become a different person. It should probably be expected given the size of every other member of the tribe but it just seemed odd.

"Sissy!" Eli's voice was louder and lower that she remembered but it did crack at the excitement.

"I'm here Eli…right here." She said as the crowd parted just a little to let her through. Her Aunt Emily gently guided her to the table and gave her elbow a little squeeze. Sarah felt her face heat up as she knew everyone was watching her.

"I'm watching go ahead."

Eli pushed the boy next to him off the bench seating and Benjamin, Aunt Leah's son, fell right on the floor. "MOVE! This is my sister's seat!" Eli growled down at him.

Sarah helped Ben get to his feet and hugged him just a little. "Don't worry Ben, when it's officially not his Birthday anymore we'll get him back for that."

Ben smiled and leaned against the wall as Sarah took her seat next to Eli.

"So what are you waiting for squirt? Blow the candles out."

"Who are you calling squirt?" Eli mocked as he flexed his biceps. "I could head off to the gun show after this."

Sarah laughed uncontrollably as Eli kissed each muscle on his arms. He reminded her so much of her Dad sometimes. Carbon copies those too. She settled down and pointed at the cake.

"Go on now Hulk, people are waiting."

She immediately stopped laughing. The nickname wasn't so far off. She wondered to herself, if Eli looked like this at 13 what would he look like next year? Would he look like Dad did in those old photos? Sarah watched her Mother light the candles on the cake and everyone around her began to sing. She thought to herself this is the most activity that has happened for weeks. It'd been eerily quiet. They'd stepped down patrols lately and her Dad had even cancelled their monthly meeting with the Cullens to oversee their borders just to get ready for Eli's party. Sarah was happy to see her Dad take it easy for once but it all felt a little strange. She'd never known her Uncles or Dad to be lenient about their safety. Her Dad would end every meeting with the phrase, "we'll be ready next time". But as she looked around the crowded room again she couldn't help but feel calm and safe, Her Father, her Uncles, her Cousins and Brother, who would possibly stand a chance against them? They were literally all muscle. She watched her brother close his eyes tight and then blow out his candles. The kitchen went dark for a moment and then erupted into applause and light. Eli grabbed her up in his signature bear hug and squeezed so tight she felt her back crack. He turned and left the table with all his friends. Her brother, her little Eli with muscles…ugh what was the world coming to?

It wasn't that she couldn't appreciate muscles, she was a teenage girl, of course she could. She just preferred them on boys like Paul's son Caleb or Sam's son Logan. But when it came right down to it, they all looked kind of alike. To be perfectly honest she didn't really find herself interested in any of the boys attending her brother's party. She thought for years that maybe it was just that they had all grown up so close together. Sarah thought of all of them as brothers. That's why she was so glad to spend her senior year at Fork's High School. She spent the bulk of her life at the school on the res but they didn't offer the last class she needed for her certificate program in photography. She'd needed a more advanced course with media applications to move on and to put it nicely the Res was still just a little behind. Sarah loved her new school though. She felt like her own person for once, she made friends easily and it didn't hurt that the boys came in all the different shades. She's grown tired of bronze hues a very long time ago.

The room was growing quiet around her as all the party goers headed out to the deck. Sarah scanned the room and made her way back to the stairs, hoping to slip back to her room unnoticed. She made it nearly to the top when her Uncle Colin and Uncle Brady burst through the front doors. They were barley dressed in what she would always refer to as wolf wear. Cutoffs and a black tee shirts, no shoes though…that was always the give away. Her Father appeared in the door way suddenly,

"Guys you're late, you almost missed cake." He said motioning them to the kitchen.

Colin's face was grim as he answered.

"No time for cake Chief."

"What, why, what's going on?" He said shaking Uncle Colin by the shoulders.

"Leeches Jacob….real old ones."


End file.
